Buildings are often heated with an air conditioning system comprising a central air conditioning unit and air ducts. The central air conditioning unit cools or heats air at a central location The cooled or heated air is forced through the air ducts from the central location to a plurality of remote locations or rooms. The forced air entering the room or rooms connected to the air conditioning unit cools or heats the room as appropriate.
Often, it is desirable to prevent forced air traveling through the air ducts from entering a given room connected to the heating system. This may be because the room is unoccupied or the occupants do not, for some other reason, wish that the forced air enter the room.
Usually, forced air is prevented from entering a particular room by an air vent assembly attached to the air duct servicing that particular room. The air vent assembly normally comprises a housing that engages the air duct and one or more louvers mounted on the housing such that the louvers rotate between an open position and a closed position. A mechanical lever or wheel is usually connected to the louvers to allow the operator of the room to open or close the air vent assembly as desired.
The present invention relates to air vent assemblies that are adapted to be mounted in an air duct located in the floor of the room being serviced. The air vent assembly is thus mounted within the heating duct with an upper portion of the housing flush with the floor of the room. The louvers are mounted to the frame below floor of the room, and the control lever or wheel extends slightly above upper portion of the frame to allow access by the operator. A grate is usually mounted to the top of the housing so that the air vent assembly may be walked on.
Once a conventional floor-mounted air vent assembly is placed in its open configuration, it remains there until it is moved into its closed configuration. Thus, dust, dirt, and the like is allowed to enter the air duct when the air vent assembly is in its open configuration and forced air is not flowing through the air duct.
In addition, because the air duct is mounted in the floor, forced air flowing from through the vent assembly tends to flow straight up as it enters the room. Allowing the air to travel straight up as it enters the room is inefficient because the lower, occupied portion of the room is heated last as the air circulates up and along the ceiling before it flows down to warm the lower portion of the room. And because hot air tends to rise anyway, allowing the forced air to travel upwards as it enters the room also works against efficient heating of the lower portion of the room.
In many situations the air duct is located at the outer periphery of the room such that the forced air travels upwards along a window or door. Heat energy carried by the air may thus be transferred out of the room through the window or door, which wastes this heat energy.
Conventional air vent assemblies are thus designed simply to open or close the air duct and do not direct the forced air to one side or the other as the forced air enters the room.
Typically, an air vent deflector is mounted on top of a conventional air vent assembly to direct forced air to the side as the forced air exits the air duct through the air vent assembly. The deflector thus deflects the forced air such that it does not travel straight up; instead, the air is directed towards the interior of the room where it can more efficiently heat the lower portion thereof. Forced air so directed is also less likely to flow along a window or the like where heat energy may be lost.
Conventional air vent deflectors are usually a curved molded plastic part designed to engage the frame of the air vent assembly. The deflector member will typically extend from three to six inches above the floor surface. The deflector member thus forms an obstruction for people walking within the room or other items within the room such as curtains and the like. In addition, such deflectors extending above the level of the floor can break when stepped upon or when hit with a vacuum cleaner.
The need thus exists for improved air vent assemblies and/or air vent deflectors.